Dark Flower Ch. 16 (previously The Flower Ch. 10)

[Mikayla]

Author's Note: There was far too much dialogue to properly convey all of it here. I have done my best to portray the conversations as accurately as I could. My apologies in advance to anyone who feels that my account is not accurate enough. I have done my best to portray the feeling of the conversations, if not the exact letter of every sentence. I hope that will be sufficient. Also, on battles, please keep in mind that I really only have Shey's perception to go from.

The Flower, Chapter 10.

By a warm fire in the newly renovated chambers of Ellewyn’s tower, Sheyreiza awoke from a dream. Dreaming was not common for her as she rarely sank from reverie into real sleep. Pregnancy taxed her however, even this early on, and she found herself sleeping and dreaming even more. This dream had been about Skullport, about the mage who haunted her every step, who once appeared in her bedchamber and who often threatened her. It was this mage who drove Sheyreiza out of the port of shadows. In her dream, the mage as well as the Matron of the local drow noble house were chasing Sheyreiza. Sheyreiza, heavy with child, struggled through ever deepening snows while her two pursuers laughed at her plight. Ahead lay a bridge and Sheyreiza ran for it, but her legs felt heavy as if the snow she was running through was really mud. As she reached the bridge she saw two elves on the other side, one male and one female in symmetry with the two drow pursuing Sheyreiza. The elves were laughing as well. On the bridge, Sheyreiza froze between the two couples, and there she realized the elven pair was none other than Jain’n and Rilralia. An icy spear of panic, colder than the northern winds, ran through Sheyreiza’s heart as all four of the elves and drow laughed and closed in upon her. She awoke with a start.

The tower chamber lit by a fire, torches and candles, was brighter than Sheyreiza’s drow eyes would have liked. Comfortable pillows were strewn about in front of the fireplace and several large chairs loomed over the pillows. The elves, Nylo, Zymastria and Rilralia, as well as the drow Inthara were all talking. Sheyreiza stretched and paused to look at Inthara. Inthara, now more commonly known as Butterfly, was beginning to show signs of her pregnancy. Sheyreiza felt her own belly. Sheyreiza was not sure, but she thought she could feel some change.

Nylo and Rilralia were discussing who should undertake the first patrol in the woods.

“What patrol?” Sheyreiza asked. The elves ignored her and continued their discussion. Nylo was volunteering to take a patrol, but Rilralia seemed to have some reservations. The problem seemed to be that no one was supposed to patrol alone, but the pregnant women were not to be left behind unguarded either. Sheyreiza was more concerned with what she did not see or hear; the lord of the tower was noticably absent.

“Where is Jain’n?” Sheyreiza asked. She was ignored again. Sheyreiza had no intention of letting that question slip however, so she asked a second time, now much more insistently.

One of the elves nodded at the door. “He left with Fenifef.”

Sheyreiza furrowed her brow. “To where? Where did he go?”

Rilralia answered this time. “The two of them went to see the dragon who rules the Spine of the World.”

“What?” Sheyreiza screeched. “Why?”

“To bribe him so we can pass through his lands later.” Rilralia responded. “He ordered the rest of us to stay here.”

Sheyreiza was already getting up from the pillows. Nylo and the others went back to discussing their patrol schedule. Sheyreiza slipped into her chainmail shirt and silently thanked Eilistraee her belly had not grown any larger yet. Chainmail was not the most giving fabric. Quickly, Sheyreiza donned the rest of her weapons.

“Where are you going?” Rilralia asked.

Sheyreiza did not even look up from her preparations. “I am going after Jain’n.”

“You cannot do that.” Rilralia said tersely. “Jain’n has ordered the rest of us to stay. He does not want us on this mission.”

“I don’t take anyone’s orders.” Sheyreiza said flatly. “Besides, he and I have a pact of sorts.”

Nylo frowned. “A pact?”

Sheyreiza nodded, her long, silky white hair flowing around her face even as she struggled to quickly tie it back. “Xas. Yes, a pact. Sort of. He refuses to let me go after my son alone, so I refuse to let him go anywhere dangerous alone.”

Rilralia frowned again. “Jain’n is not pregnant. You are. You must think of the unborn child you carry.”

Sheyreiza finished tying her hair back and scowled at Rilralia. “I must do nothing other than what I please. Now, where is Jain’n? Which way did they go?”

The elves did not answer the question. Instead, Nylo and Rilralia argued with Sheyreiza, trying to convince her to stay. Sheyreiza would have none of it.

Frustrated, Sheyreiza headed down the stairs. “If you will not tell me, I will go without your help.” Behind her she could hear Nylo and Rilralia yelling at her. Sheyreiza shook her head as she walked quickly out of the tower. Outside, Sheyreiza jogged down the snowy embankment to the lake’s edge where she found the faerie trod. The faerie trods were magical portals that allowed movement into and out of the enchanted parts of Lonelywood. Sheyreiza whispered the password and her chosen destination and the faerie trod transported her to Lonelywood village. One of the wardens, Jaya, was near the trod when Sheyreiza arrived. Sheyreiza asked if Jaya had seen Jain’n and which way he had gone. Jaya would not answer. Sheyreiza asked again and again was met by silence.

“Lord Jain’n has ordered that no one follow him.” Rilralia’s voice came from behind Sheyreiza, stern and commanding. It went right through Sheyreiza, invoking memories of her older sisters and inflaming the hatred still in Sheyreiza's heart. She spun on Rilralia, glowering, and then turned away without a word. Sheyreiza jogged through Lonelywood, pausing only to ask the wardens she encountered where Jain’n had gone. None would answer. By the time she was at the village’s edge, Sheyreiza was openly cursing the wardens. Rilralia followed, keeping up her steady diatribe about Jain’n’s orders and Sheyreiza’s unborn baby. The infuriated drow ignored the preaching elf with all the self-control she could muster. Rilralia, the baby and Jain’n’s orders were not as important as Jain’n was. Not to Sheyreiza.

Sheyreiza jogged down the trail that led out of the village until she finally stood on the overlook, peering out onto the wind blasted arctic wastes of Bremen’s run. Rilralia had followed, spitting out orders and admonitions in between gasps of breath as the two women ran. Sheyreiza walked out onto the flats and Rilralia descended with her.

“I am ordering you to stop this.” Rilralia said. “Jain’n’s orders were for you to stay behind. You must not put your unborn baby in danger.”

Sheyreiza scanned Bremen’s run from side to side. It was a great, flat expanse running north south, blasted by a near constant arctic wind that could freeze even the best-dressed traveler. Sheyreiza was protected not only by her fur cloak, but also by her magical warming stone. With the wind rushing across the plain, pushing snow drifts about constantly, there was little hope of tracking Jain’n and Fenifef. An idea came to her.

Sheyreiza interrupted Rilralia’s tirade. “If you are going to follow me, at least make yourself useful. Help me track Jain’n. Otherwise, I am liable to get lost and that would very likely be worse than finding him.”

Rilralia’s mouth dropped as she looked at Sheyreiza. A moment of silence passed, and then Rilralia recovered herself and tried again to convince Sheyreiza to turn back. The sun elf alternated between pleading, commanding and convincing. Nothing seemed to work.

Sheyreiza shook her head in frustration. She looked around the plain again and then headed south. She had never seen Jain’n head north from here, so she suspected he probably went south as usual.

Rilralia stopped ranting as the two women traveled across the icy plain. There were many dangers along the route, and it would not do to alert those dangers of their presence. Also, trudging across the snowy plain was hard work and Rilralia could not afford to waste her breath if she was going to keep up with Sheyreiza.

Sheyreiza walked quickly but quietly, keeping the lake to her right. She knew she would eventually cross the trail that led to Termaline. It was on this frozen plain Sheyreiza had killed the frost giant with her spells. One of only two times in the past two years she had used any magic. The other time was when she unsuccessfully tried to save the unicorn. As she walked, Sheyreiza tried to remember what she had learned of Eilistraee’s faith. Sheyreiza, as a former priestess of Lolth and Kiaransalee, knew a great deal about divine magic, but she knew little about channeling divine magic from the Dark Maiden. She ran through the spell casting rituals and hoped they would work. Since the night when the unicorn died, Sheyreiza had routinely prayed to Eilistraee for spells, but had never tested those prayers. While she knew the rituals, incantations and gestures, Sheyreiza had no idea if Eilistraee would answer.

A large, dark shape, barely discernable through the blowing snow, loomed ahead of Sheyreiza. Sheyreiza stopped, crouched and signaled to Rilralia to halt. The shape moved. It was a gnoll: undoubtedly one of the Talonites’ soldiers. More shapes moved. Sheyreiza could make out at least one other humanoid and several beasts. She and Rilralia were outnumbered. Rilralia saw them now as well.

“Will you finally turn back now?” Rilralia whispered.

Rilralia’s question was answered when Sheyreiza let her first arrow fly at the leading gnoll.

“Curse you!” Rilralia stood up and surged forward with spear and shield as Sheyreiza let her next arrow fly. The gnoll saw them now, and came charging, flanked by two great hounds whose bodies and heads seemed deformed by some unimaginable horror. Behind them, a cloaked human began screaming an incantation over the howling wind. Another gnoll ran to the combat from the far side, a great halberd in its hands. Sheyreiza drew her own rapier and followed Rilralia into the melee. The first gnoll and the hounds were fierce, but Sheyreiza and Rilralia were far more experienced fighters. The Talonite trio fell quickly, though one of the hounds had managed to bite Rilralia. The druid tried to even the odds by entangling the elves, but Rilralia and Sheyreiza were fleet of foot and not so easily trapped. The second gnoll charged and Sheyreiza danced forward to meet him. This beast was cagier, and stopped short of rushing in on the diminutive, but deadly dark elf. Instead, he swept his halberd low, the back-spike catching Sheyreiza’s ankle, tripping her. The gnoll brought his weapon up and slashed down at the prone drow before him, but Sheyreiza rolled away from his strike and regained her feet. As Sheyreiza stood, Rilralia rushed in and speared the gnoll’s flank. The beast howled in agony but managed to swing his halberd around and connect with Rilralia’s side, sending her staggering away in a bloody spray. Sheyreiza lunged in, driving her rapier deep into the side of the gnoll already wounded by Rilralia. The gnoll howled again and whirled its halberd, but Sheyreiza’s wound was fatal and it fell before it could strike again.

The plague druid still began casting another spell but Rilralia regained her balance, and though wounded, ran the Talonite through with her spear before he could do any further harm. The man fell, arms akimbo, his unholy words sputtering out in bloody foam as Rilralia withdrew her weapon from his chest.

Rilralia bent over at the waist, breathing hard. Blood flowed from her side where the gnoll’s halberd had struck her as well as from her arms and legs where the hounds’ teeth had found flesh.

“We are turning back now.” Said the flame haired elf.

“No.” Replied Sheyreiza. “At least, I am not. You may turn back if you wish, but I am going after Jain’n.”

Rilralia stood, grimacing against the pain of her wounds. “You fool, you would be dead if I was not here to save you!”

Sheyreiza raised an eyebrow and looked Rilralia over. “You are the one who is badly wounded, not I. I am untouched. If this is too much for you, I understand, go home. Otherwise, help me find Jain’n before we find more of these Talonites.”

Rilralia’s face grew darker. “You are endangering your unborn child! Have you no sense? Are you mad?”

Sheyreiza ignored Rilralia’s questions and examined her wounds. “You need healing, whether you go back or come with me. Stand still. I will try and heal them.” Sheyreiza began invoking the healing rituals she had once known so well and used so often. It had been almost three years since she had last cast such a healing spell.

Rilralia kept up her tirade about turning back, Jain’n’s orders and the safety of the unborn baby. Why was she so concerned about the baby? Sheyreiza wondered. Who cared? It was as yet unborn. Pregnancy was no reason to suddenly become lazy, inactive and cowardly. Indeed, Sheyreiza had heard of Matron Mothers who launched wars while pregnant and used the pain of labor to make their spells more potent. Rilralia's ranting was distracting Sheyreiza and making her mad.

“Shut up!” Sheyreiza finally barked. “I have not done this in a long time and it is not easy with you running your mouth. For the Maiden’s sake, shut up until I am done casting.”

Surprisingly, Rilralia went silent. Sheyreiza completed the casting and power flowed through her body and into her hands. She touched Rilralia’s wounds and the wounds began to close. Sheyreiza repeated the incantation several times, channeling more and more power, healing more and more of Rilralia’s injuries until the flame haired elf was bloody, but not so much as scratched. Sheyreiza was smiling uncontrollably. She had not used so much divine magic in such a controlled fashion in years. It felt almost orgasmic.

“Thank you. Now, we should turn back before you get your unborn baby killed.” Rilralia said.

Rilralia’s rebuke wiped the smile off Sheyreiza’s face and brought her back to reality and Sheyreiza’s quest. She had to find Jain’n. Without another word Sheyreiza picked up her things and headed south towards Termaline. Frustrated, angry, bloody, but unwounded, Rilralia followed.

Near the road to Termaline, Sheyreiza and Rilralia encountered another pair of travelers, one female and one male. The female called herself Arizel and was of elven descent, with dusky skin and whitish hair. The male was more standoffish. Sheyreiza did not get a name, but she could tell he was of human or some other similar, large, lesser race stock. Arizel knew of Jain’n and Fenifef, and of their mission to see the dragon, but she did not know how to follow them or how to get to where the dragon was.

For an hour Sheyreiza talked with Arizel and argued with Rilralia. Arizel had no useful knowledge and Rilralia would yield none. Sheyreiza realized it was hopeless. Between the fight with the gnolls and this delay, even if she was suddenly gifted with the knowledge of which way Jain’n went, she would never be able to catch up to him. Jain’n would face the dragon without her.

Sheyreiza sighed heavily. “I do not know how to go where Jain’n is going, and I cannot track him. There is nothing to do but return to Lonelywood.” Rilralia smiled a bit but Sheyreiza turned and looked the sun elf in the eye. “A year ago I helped deliver your twins. I will not forget how you ‘returned’ that favor and treated me today.” Rilralia started to answer but Sheyreiza was already walking north, back up Bremen’s Run.

Arizel, having been previously accepted by the Lonelywood elves followed Rilralia and Sheyreiza. The human male had business elsewhere, so he went his own way. The journey back was as silent and uneventful as the journey out had been contentious and embattled.

***

Hours later, Sheyreiza stood atop Ellewyn’s tower, peering across the lake through the gnomish viewing glass Jain’n had put on the roof. She looked for any sign of her lover’s passing, but could see none. Periodically, one of the others would come up and try to talk to her. Rilralia was the most persistent and annoying of the group, so Sheyreiza put her to work on the spyglass. The icy breeze blowing across the high roof of the tower seemed to dissuade Rilralia from further chastising Sheyreiza or spending much time staring across the lake looking for Jain’n. The flame haired elf eventually returned to the warmer chambers below. Sheyreiza was not unhappy to see her go and returned to spying on the far shore in welcome solitude.

Boats appeared on the lake. Sheyreiza counted ten of them. She watched the boats for a minute and realized they were headed towards Termaline. Down below she could hear someone yelling, but she tried to ignore it. She adjusted the spyglass and tried to see who occupied the ten boats, but the craft were too far away. Inthara joined Sheyreiza on the roof so Sheyreiza told her about the boats. Inthara immdiately warned the others. Several of the elves tried to discern who was rowing the distant craft through the spyglass, but even with their superior day vision, they could not make out the craft's occupants.

The elves argued and debated about what they should do. Jain’n’s orders were clear, but those orders did not anticipate a fleet sailing across the lake to attack Termaline. Sheyreiza stayed out of the arguments altogether. She did not really care about the boats nor did she really care about Termaline. Both of those were someone else’s problem. Her problem was Jain’n. The thought of him facing a dragon without her beside him caused an ache in her heart so strong it was a physical pain. Again and again she peered through the spyglass looking for him.

Below, she heard the door of the tower open and snow crunching. She looked over the edge and saw Nylo and Rilralia, dressed for battle, headed to the faerie trod. Stupid, she thought, what could two do against ten boats of enemies? And they accused me of being foolish. Hypocrites. Sheyreiza was not about to let them go alone, however, so she grabbed her bow and headed for the stairs. As she ran through the tower, Arizel, Inthara and Zymastria followed.

They caught up to Nylo and Rilralia on the trail leading out of Lonelywood village and another argument ensued. Nylo, Rilralia and Zymastria vehemently argued that Sheyreiza and Inthara should stay behind because they were pregnant. Sheyreiza argued that none of them should go because they were only six individuals against ten boats of enemies. Sheyreiza’s plea for common sense was as futile as Rilralia’s pleas had been earlier; Nylo would hear nothing of staying. It seemed he had gotten it into his head that the boats might be crewed by Zhentarim and that was enough to separate the impetuous elf from his common sense. With Nylo stubbornly determined to go, and the pregnant drow equally stubborn in their insistence on staying with him, the entire war band found itself headed south on Bremen’s Run.

***

The war band arrived at Termaline before the boats did. Nylo scouted the town and kept watch on the lake. A few hundred yards from shore, the ten boats changed course and turned north. Nylo sprinted out of Termaline and up the steep hill to meet the rest of the war band. Everyone knew what Nylo’s sprint meant and everyone joined him. As fast as they could, the war band ran north fearing the raiders were really headed for Lonelywood all along.

Their fears were unfounded. The boats landed just north of Termaline, along the edge of Bremen’s run. Gnolls poured out of the small boats, followed by their plague druid masters. With the elves sprinting across the snow and the gnolls dragging their boats ashore, neither party was able to ambush the other.

The fight was chaotic from the start. The elves quickly mixed with the invading humanoids. Sheyreiza danced between two gnolls, alternately slipping their halberds and slashing with her rapier. One gnoll fell, then the other. All around Sheyreiza the shore was engulfed in melee. Zymastria and Arizel whipped their swords in and out of the humanoids, while Nylo parried and thrust with his two blades. Rilralia, though a mere slip of a she-elf, stood toe to toe with one of the seven foot tall humanoids, deflecting its axe with her shield while thrusting with her spear. Inthara danced between the melees, firing arrows as she could. Sheyreiza saw a gnoll coming a shore, dragging a boat and she stabbed him in the back just above the hip. In an elf, that was wear a kidney would be and the blow would be fatal. She watched the gnoll howl and fall to its knees, then collapse into the icy lake. Blood flowed from its wound staining the frigid waters red and the gnoll stopped moving. It seemed elf and gnoll anatomies were not so different.

Another beast leapt to the attack from the boat and Sheyreiza danced back, slipping blows and slashing when the beast left itself open. As the gnoll’s charged slowed, Sheyreiza counter attacked and drove her rapier through its chest. The beast fell, gasping ragged, bloody breaths and clutching at its ruined chest. The gnolls' plague druid masters tried to entangle the murderous elves, but the Talonites' spell casting was inhibited by the chaos of the melee. With the elves intermixed with the gnolls, the druids could not help but hamper both sides with their enchantments. The size and strength of the gnolls was overcome by the speed and skill of the elves. The overwhelming numbers of the Talonites was offset by the chaos of the attack that found the elves mixed in with the humanoids before they could form up. Gnoll after gnoll fell into the snows and waters, never to rise again. The normally pristine white shore of the lake ran red with blood as the invaders were slaughtered.

Rays of unholy energy shot across the blooded snows striking Inthara and Sheyreiza. One of the plague druids had managed to get out of the melee and onto the road. From there, he cast his evil spells back into the fight, carefully selecting his targets. Sheyreiza responded with a beam of negative energy, but the druid shrugged it off. Sheyreiza shouted to the others that her spell failed and readied her sword for a charge. The plague druid raised his hands for another incantation, but he never finished it; the female who called herself Arizel cut him down from behind.

The shore was quiet for a moment. Sheyreiza looked around. Every member of the war band was still standing. They were splattered with blood, some of it their own, but most of it belonging to the numerous gnolls and druids who lay scattered along the banks or floating in the shallows. The invasion, such as it was, had been repulsed. Sheyreiza started to smile when she noticed a shadow fall over Nylo. Looking up, Sheyreiza saw a beast coming towards the war band larger than anything she had ever seen before. Vaguely worm shaped, the beast was even bigger than the shadow dragon that had plagued Sheyreiza’s days in Skullport. Its mouth was full of huge fangs and looked large enough to swallow a person whole.

The war band broke instantly. Everyone ran as the monstrosity slithered forward. This horror had obviously not come across on one of the boats, but it was clearly hostile nonetheless. In all likelihood, it had either swum across with the Talonites, or been summoned by the plague druids once they arrived on shore. Sheyreiza did not care which; either way, it was not something to fool with.

Something ran through Sheyreiza’s mind. Something her melee instructor had taught her long ago. If it bleeds, it can die. If you can make it bleed, you can kill it.

Sheyreiza stopped running and spun. She notched an arrow, aimed quickly, and let the shaft fly. The arrow sunk deep into the creature’s hide, but Sheyreiza could not tell if she had actually wounded it. The beast kept coming though, so she ran, but not south with the rest of the war band. Instead, Sheyreiza ran west, towards the shore. The beast slithered forward and turned with her. Sheyreiza stopped and fired another arrow. Again, the arrow struck home but again, Sheyreiza could not tell if she was penetrating the creature’s hide. There was no time to find out. The beast was coming. The great frost worm reared back and thrust its great maw forward but it caught only snow. Sheyreiza was gone, sprinting down the bloody, icy banks of the lake, jumping the steaming, dead bodies of the Talonite gnolls. When Sheyreiza looked back, she saw the worm was moving away from her but not south, following the war band. Instead, the creature was moving east. Sheyreiza doubled back, notching another arrow, looking for someway to wound the great worm. As she ran, she saw a trail of blood, darker and thicker than any let by the gnolls or the elves. Her eyes quickly followed the viscous trail from the snow at her feet to the great frost worm headed east.

It had bled, so it could die. She had made it bleed, so she could kill it. Sheyreiza notched her arrow and let the shaft fly. She did not wait to see if it hit, she simply pursued the monstrous horror. The beast suddenly turned north and Sheyreiza finally saw what had drawn the beast away. The female called Arizel had not run off with the rest of the war band. She was sprinting just in front of the great worm, her sword in one hand, running for her life. But running in great, wide, circles. Smart girl, Sheyreiza thought. And very brave.

As Arizel ran for her life Sheyreiza loosed shaft after shaft. The great beast, as stupid as it was large, failed to realize the opponent it was chasing was not the opponent whose sting it kept feeling. The trio moved now, in a truly macabre procession. Arizel, sword in hand, running in long lazy circles and s-turns, tryied to keep the beast occupied at the same time she kept herself out of the beast’s maw. The great worm, wounded now and enraged, chased the tiny she-elf, thrusting its great mouth into the ice after her time and again. Sheyreiza followed them both, loosing arrow after arrow. Thick blood flowed freely from the flanks of the worm, leaving a steaming trail of purplish gore in its wake.

Sheyreiza could see Arizel was tiring, so she sprinted in front of the worm and ran past, gaining its attention. Arizel jinked, saw the ploy, and paused long enough to catch her breath. A moment later, she ran out and slashed the flanks of the beast with her sword. The worm turned on her, and the trio resumed their macabre chase. Several times Sheyreiza captured the worm’s attention, sometimes intentionally, sometimes not. For several exhausting minutes, Sheyreiza and Arizel exchanged the role of bait, allowing the other to shoot or slash. The beast began to tire. Its sides were slick with blood and the thrusts of its great maw began to slow. Sheyreiza’s first quiver was emptied, so she drew her arrows from the quiver on her back. Again and again she fired.

From the south, the remainder of the war band appeared. Nylo rushed in, a blade in either hand, and struck at the wounded monster. As the creature reared to strike him, the elf fled and Rilralia stabbed at it with her spear from the other direction. Sheyreiza loosed more arrows. Now, Arizel, Nylo and Rilralia all took turns making runs at the great worm. Sheyreiza, Zymastria and Inthara launched arrow after arrow. The beast’s flanks were literally coming a part as they watched. Huge ribbons of bloody, fibrous muscle oozed out between shredded skin and blubber. The creature barely had enough strength to lift its head or open its mouth. Sheyreiza fired again. Nylo ran in under the arrow and tore another bloody gash in the worm’s belly. This time, its thick hide gave way altogether. The weakened, tortured skin split on its own like an overripe banana. Muscle, fat and blood poured out into the snow. Its great head fell and the war band could hear it gasping. The elves did not pause. A few more sword cuts and arrows and it was done. The monstrous frost worm was dead.

As the war band walked around the giant corpse, Sheyreiza tried to catch her breath. Each gasp of the chill air was like a dagger in the chest but she needed the air. She saw Arizel doing the same thing. The female smiled at Sheyreiza.

“Thank you.” Arizel stammered between breaths. “I thought I was alone out here against that thing.”

Sheyreiza nodded. “Indeed. I thought I was alone as well.” Sheyreiza and Arizel both looked at the others and then at each other. The look they shared said everything that they would not say in words with the others around. As a drow raised in the Underdark Sheyreiza had been taught never to trust in others. Sheyreiza’s life lessons had taught her that she should not, indeed, trust other people’s motivations or loyalty. What you could trust, however, was a person’s character. As much as Sheyreiza could trust anyone, she now trusted in Arizel’s courage.

The war band scouted the landing site and ensured no enemy remained. Nylo, their best tracker, assured them that no gnoll, druid or monster escaped by land. Some may have managed to get back in their boats and escape, but regardless, the raid had been defeated. Considering the odds, the victory was an amazing one. Even more amazing was the fact that not one of the war band had fallen in the battle.

What Sheyreiza did not know yet was that her real battle was just about to begin, and what no one knew yet was that there would be a casualty from this battle – an unexpected casualty whose death would rip the war band apart.

[Sandermann]

Finally Tel enters the story

This is great Mik, its good to see the events through another characters eyes

[Zakharra]

Great story Mik. I always enjoy your work.

[Killthorne]

I said it before... you should be writing books Mikayla!

*thinks a moment*




Comic books. With my art. *nods*

Then we'll be RICH. RICH I SAY!




~killthorne~

[Nyarlathotep]

Great story. Really want to know who the unexpected casualty is. I also hope that those negative energy rays don't have any ill effects on the child...it'd be a shame if she was born with spider limbs or something like that.

I hate to be an "I told you so" but Vraja did warn you all about those worms.

[Mikayla]

Thank you all, I live for the praise sadly enough. Killi, I think a comic book sounds great - we can start with one about Shey and call it "Dark Flower" - sex, violence, magic - what else do we need?


Well, aside from a publisher, an audience, money, fame......

I guess we need a lot. Oh well....one day at time....

[Killthorne]

Well Mikayla, you know what they say:

sex, violence, magic

sell.





~killthorne~

[Virvaldin]

I don't know what to feel anymore

I have this hate / love relationship with this drow. I just cant place her. And I sometimes hope she falls over and gets a wooden stake through her cold traitor cold heart.

But then again I feel... ARGH! BLoody hell she R0xorzZ! But that passes as the pansy elves go "oh such a nice little drow"

But emotions stirred after reading is a sure sign that this indeed is a great great story Mikayla.. Thanks for sharing.

*applauds*

[Vendrin]

Well, aside from a publisher, an audience, money, fame......

Mik, all of ALFA is your audience. You actually get something published you'd be sure most of us would buy it and make our friends buy it.

[Mikayla]

Thank you Ven, I very much appreciate the sentiment - if I ever get a book published, I will send you a signed copy for free. You are still on the hook to get your friends to buy copies however....

And Virv,

I have this hate / love relationship with this drow. I just cant place her. And I sometimes hope she falls over and gets a wooden stake through her cold traitor cold heart.

Perfect. That may be my favorite thing anyone has yet said about this series, and its perfect because I think that is where I want Shey to be right now - someone you cannot help but have a love-hate relationship with. Thanks Virv.